Christel Maritz Blog - Page 26 of 30

Lifestyle factors, change behavior & independent living

Lifestyle factors, change behavior and independent living all have a direct impact on independent living later in life. In a 20-year study on change behavior that followed nearly 6,500 middle-aged and elderly people, those who smoked, were obese or physically inactive, or had diabetes or uncontrolled high blood pressure when the study began were much more likely to require admission to a nursing home later on.

Middle-age smoking increased the chance of a nursing home admission by 56%, physical inactivity by 40%, and uncontrolled high blood pressure by 35%. Diabetes more than tripled the risk. Middle-age obesity was also associated with higher risk, but the association wasn’t statistically significant — that is, the numbers could have resulted from chance. All of these conditions can, of course, be modified with lifestyle changes.

Even after a setback such as a stroke, lifestyle can make a difference.

A study in the Journal of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry (February 2012), which involved more than 15,000 American adults with a history of stroke, found that regular exercise and not smoking were each associated with a reduced risk of dying from any cause. Moreover, the more healthy behaviors that participants embraced (for example, eating five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables in addition to exercising and not smoking), the lower their death rate for all causes.

If you feel that you would like to challenge your lifestyle and need someone to coach, inspire and guide you, please contact me Christel, and together we can embark on setting new goals and changing your life for the better.

BWRT – Rehearsal, Repetition and Practice

The old adage of “practice makes perfect” has a connection to a new therapy which is called Brain Working Recursive Therapy®.

When we try to learn something new we practice it over and over again until it becomes second-nature to us. An example of this can be learning to drive a car. When we first attempt to use the gas pedal, brake, clutch to change gear, steering wheel, indicators and mirrors it can all seem too much.

However through gradual rehearsal and repetition of what we need to master (eg. clutch control for a hill start) and many more lessons of practice, we get more competent at driving. Our body responds more appropriately to events (stimuli) around us as we drive the car. Our confidence grows and our successes inspire us. The end result is a new network of neural pathways that enable us to be competent drivers.

BWRT® uses the same idea of learning a new way of reacting and behaving via repetition, rehearsal and reflection on successes. In doing so the brain provides a new neural pathway network. The only difference is that rather than acquiring a new behaviour such as driving, it is about changing an undesired behaviour in favour of a better behaviour.

Source: www.bwrt.net

When is a feeling a mental health problem?

When we experience mental health problems, our day-to-day lives and our relationships with those around us can suffer.

We all have bad days and times when things are not going right for us. That is just part of life and nothing to get worried about.

However, there are times when those bad days turn into bad weeks and we can begin to feel stuck.

mental health problemS?

It can be considered a ‘mental health problem’ when our feelings, thoughts, beliefs or behaviour negatively affect our day-to-day lives and activities and we cannot seem to, or don’t know how to, move past those feelings, thoughts, beliefs or behaviour.

Mental health problems can range from temporary feelings of stress or depression to longer term feelings of deep depression, despair or anxiety. In more extreme cases, it can seem like someone is losing touch with reality, at least in the eyes of other people.

There are a number of different ways of understanding mental health problems.

Some people believe that a medical understanding of mental health problems is the most valid approach. Others believe that a social understanding, taking account of life circumstances, should come first.

Causes of mental health problems

Mental health problems can affect absolutely any of us. While it’s not always know what causes a mental health problem, there are number of factors associated with the onset of a mental health problem.

Some of these factors include:

Stressful life events – stressful experiences like grief or loss, experiencing violence or a traumatic accident may trigger mental health problems.

Family environment – if people grow up in a family where they never felt loved or cared for or have been abused, this can affect mental health. Sometimes parents themselves felt unloved or had problems growing up and therefore may not know how to show love or care to their own children.

Drug abuse and alcohol – there is a relationship between drug and alcohol abuse and mental health problems, it’s not always clear which comes first though.

Family history – many mental health problems are related to family history whether based on genetics (nature) or experience (nurture) – meaning if a family member has a mental health problem, others in the family may be at higher risk of experiencing one as well.

Signs to look out for:

Increased stress
Anxiety or unexplained fear
Withdrawal from friends, family or social activities
Changes in sleeping or eating patterns
Feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness.

It is normal for our attitudes, mood and behaviours to change from time-to-time.

But, if you notice any of the above signs in yourself or someone you know that last for a couple of weeks or longer, it is important to act on those concerns.

Reaching out

Acting on concerns about a mental health problem will usually mean reaching out for some extra support. That support can come from many different places.

It can mean speaking to a trusted friend or a family member or it could also mean accessing support service in the community or speaking with a GP.

The source of support will depend on the nature of the problem and personal circumstances. Whatever support is used a starting point, the earlier you get support, the better.

Different types of mental health problem

There are hundreds of different ‘labels’ put on mental health problems. While some people don’t like the idea of putting a label on mental health problems, others find it reassuring and helpful to be able to describe what they are feeling or experiencing.

Some common terms used in describing mental health problems include:

Anxiety – which can be described as an uncomfortable and sometimes irrational feeling of fear or dread usually brought on by specific situations or circumstances e.g. social situations.

Depression – the word ‘depression’ is sometimes used to describe everyday feelings of sadness. Depression is also a clinical term used by doctors and other health professionals to describe an ongoing experience of low mood and other symptoms such as poor appetite, disturbed sleep, waking early and a lack of interest in everyday activities and hobbies.

Eating disorders – are complicated and severe disturbances in eating behaviours which can involve eating too little and an unhealthy obsession with wanting to be thin. They can also involve binge-eating, sometimes with strong feelings of guilt and the need to get rid of the food.

Bipolar – in clinical settings ‘bipolar disorder’ replaced the term ‘manic depression’. It is usually associated with fairly extreme ups and downs that are sometimes described as ‘mood episodes’.

Schizophrenia – schizophrenia describes a mental health problem involving disturbances in a person’s thoughts, perceptions, emotions and behaviour. It can involve hallucinations and the appearance of being out of touch with reality.

Hearing voices – there are other ways of understanding or describing mental health problems and some people who might be given a diagnosis of schizophrenia because they have hallucinations or hear voices others don’t hear, prefer to identify as ‘voice hearers’.

Getting support for a mental health problem

Whatever the issue, whether it has been going on for a short while or for longer, whether it only impacts your life a little or a lot, get some support.

Speak with a friend, a family member or someone else you trust. Support can also mean ‘self-help’ which might simply involve doing things that make you feel better.

Getting past a mental health problem, or learning to cope with the experience of having an ongoing mental health problem, is a journey. However small the first step is, it doesn’t matter, just take it, begin your journey.

Step-by-step, mental health problems can be tackled. The earlier we start tackling them, the better.

If you feel overwhelmed please contact me and together we can work towards inner healing.

Source – http://ie.reachout.com/inform-yourself/depression/understanding-mental-health-problems/

Grieving the loss of a child

Grieving – The loss of a child is one of the most devastating things that can happen to parents and supporting them leaves friends feeling helpless, because what is the right thing to do or say to help them? Many times it is best to say nothing, just be there.

We feel desperate in trying to help and say things that can be insensitive or irrelevant just to steer away from the pain as we are also confronted with our own mortality. Be there to give a shoulder if they want to cry, because they need to cry. Be there to give an ear if they want to speak about the loved one. Encourage them to do so. Revisiting the memories they have, is one of the ways of ‘feeling close’ to the little one. Pray for them and with them, but be very careful what you say with regards to God and heaven. Telling them that God needed the child more or that the best needed to be taken because life on earth is bad, only might lead to resentment and bitterness towards God. Rather refrain from making statements that might sound good, but is not inspired by the Spirit. Ask for wisdom, because only God knows best what they need from day to day and hour to hour. The process of grief goes through different stages of which the first one is shock and denial. The time frame for each stage might be different for people, but the first stage usually is about three months. Make a note on your calendar to make sure that you stay in touch with them after the first three months, because then the reality starts to dawn on them. People tend to support until a few weeks after the funeral and then ‘life goes on’ for the friends, but not for the grieved parents. People also withdraw because they feel helpless to see their beloved friends in such agony. Just a regular phone call, coffee, flower, as long as they know you are thinking of them.

The only way to support the right way is to be there and to be able to sensitively establish what they need in the moment whether it be 3 days, 3 months, 3 years, 30 years down the way. Parents never accept the loss of a child, they only eventually learn to live alongside the pain, so never expect of them to move on, it is impossible. We tend to think that crying and sadness are abnormal and thus forget that crying, depressive symptoms and even angry feelings are part of the grief process and quite normal during times like these. Allow them space to feel what they feel without trying to save them from it. They need to feel and express the feelings.